Unit manipulation system, and slave display device and master display device used in the system

• US 9,965,148 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Maeda, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US14/430,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/113 Scrolling through menu items
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1442 Emulation of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/182 Distributing information between displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/577 Mirror link with mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/06 Use of more than one graphics processor to process data before displaying to one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications

Abstract

A unit manipulation system includes: a master display device having a terminal function for manipulating a unit; and a slave display device that establishes data communication with the master display device, and calls the terminal function of the master display device, to enable manipulation of the unit from a manipulation section through the master display device. The slave display device includes: a call menu display section that displays a call menu for calling the terminal function; and a manipulation screen display section that, when the call menu displayed by the call menu display section is selected, calls the terminal function of the master display device, and causes a display section to display a manipulation screen corresponding to the call menu. The master display device and the slave display device are coordinated with each other to enable the slave display device to perform various manipulations through the master display device.

Claims

1. A unit manipulation system comprising:

a master display device having a terminal function for manipulating at least one unit; and

a slave display device that establishes data communication with the master display device and calls the terminal function of the master display device to enable manipulation of the at least one unit from a manipulation section of the slave device, through the master display device;

wherein the slave display device includes;

a call menu display section that displays a call menu for calling the terminal function, and

a manipulation screen display section that, when the call menu displayed by the call menu display section is selected, calls the terminal function of the master display device and causes a slave display section to display a manipulation screen corresponding to the call menu,

wherein the master display device includes;

a registration menu display section that displays a registration target menu including a plurality of menu items as target items to be registered to the slave display device as the call menu, and

a determination section that, when at least one of the menu items of the registration target menu is selected, determines the selected menu item as the call menu; and

wherein the registration menu display section displays each of the plurality of menu items in such a manner as to indicate that a menu item that can be registered to the slave display device is selectable and a menu item that cannot be registered to the slave display device is not selectable.

2. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1,

wherein the call menu display section displays the call menu in such a manner as to indicate whether the call menu is selectable or not.

3. The unit manipulation system according to claim 2,

wherein when the terminal function of the master display device that corresponds to the call menu is being used and cannot be executed in a shared manner, the call menu display section displays the call menu in such a manner as to indicate that the call menu is not selectable.

4. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1,

wherein, when a plurality of the slave display devices exist, the registration menu display section lists the plurality of the slave display devices and encourages a user to select a slave display device to which the call menu is to be registered.

5. The unit manipulation system according to claim 4,

wherein the registration menu display section displays the slave display device, to which the call menu can be registered, in such a manner as to indicate whether the slave display device is selectable or not.

6. The unit manipulation system according to claim 5,

wherein the registration menu display section displays the slave display device, to which the call menu can be registered, in such a manner as to indicate that the slave display device is selectable.

7. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1,

wherein, when at least one of the menu items of the registration target menu is selected by a predetermined manipulation, the determination section searches for a slave display device to which the menu item selected can be registered as the call menu;

and

when the menu item selected can be registered to the slave display device as the call menu, the determination section determines and registers the menu item selected as the call menu to the slave display device.

8. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1,

wherein the slave display device includes a deletion section that deletes the call menu.

9. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1, wherein

among the plurality of menu items, the menu item that can be registered is an item that has not yet been registered to the slave display device.

10. The unit manipulation system according to claim 1,

wherein the registration menu display section and the determination section are included in a master control section that is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components,

wherein the call menu display section and the manipulation screen display section are included in a slave control section that is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components,

wherein the manipulation section of the slave device is configured as a touch panel that is layered on the top of an electronic visual display, and

wherein the slave display section is configured as an electronic visual display.

11. A slave display device that has a manipulation section and a slave display section, establishes data communication with a master display device having a terminal function for manipulating at least one unit, and calls the terminal function of the master display device to enable manipulation of the unit from the manipulation section through the master display device, the slave display device comprising:

a slave control section that includes;

a call menu display section that displays a call menu for calling the terminal function, and

a manipulation screen display section that, when the call menu displayed by the call menu display section is selected, calls the terminal function of the master display device and causes the slave display section to display a manipulation screen corresponding to the call menu,

wherein the master display device includes;

a registration menu display section that displays a registration target menu including a plurality of menu items as target items to be registered to the slave display device as the call menu, and

a determination section that, when at least one of the menu items of the registration target menu is selected, determines the selected menu item as the call menu, and

wherein the registration menu display section displays each of the plurality of menu items in such a manner as to indicate that a menu item that can be registered is selectable and a menu item that cannot be registered is not selectable.

12. The slave display device according to claim 11, wherein among the plurality of menu items, the menu item that can be registered is an item that has not yet been registered to the slave display device.

13. The slave display device according to claim 11,

wherein the registration menu display section and the determination section are included in the slave control section.

14. The slave display device according to claim 11,

wherein the slave control section calls a master control section of the master display device and executes the registration menu display section and the determination section in the slave control section.

15. The slave display device according to claim 11,

wherein the registration menu display section and the determination section are included in a master control section that is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components,

wherein the slave control section is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components, and

wherein the manipulation section of the slave device is configured as a touch panel that is layered on the top of an electronic visual display, and

wherein the slave display section is configured as an electronic visual display.

16. A master display device that has a terminal function for manipulating at least one unit and is used with a slave display device that establishes data communication with the master display device and calls the terminal function of the master display device to enable manipulation of the unit from a manipulation section of the slave display device through the master display device,

wherein the slave display device includes a call menu display section that displays a call menu for calling the terminal function, and a manipulation screen display section that, when the call menu displayed by the call menu display section is selected, calls the terminal function of the master display device and causes a slave display section to display a manipulation screen corresponding to the call menu, the master display device comprising:

a master control section that includes;

a registration menu display section that displays a registration target menu including a plurality of menu items as target items to be registered to the slave display device as the call menu, and

a determination section that, when at least one of the menu items of the registration target menu displayed by the registration menu display section is selected, determines the selected menu item as the call menu,

wherein the registration menu display section displays each of the plurality of menu items in such a manner as to indicate that a menu item that can be registered to the slave display device is selectable and a menu item that cannot be registered to the slave display device is not selectable.

17. The master display device according to claim 16, wherein

among the plurality of menu items, the menu item that can be registered is an item that has not yet been registered to the slave display device.

18. The master display device according to claim 16,

wherein the master control section is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components,

wherein the call menu display section and the manipulation screen display section are included in a slave control section that is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an input/output (I/O), and a bus line connecting these components,

wherein the manipulation section of the slave device is configured as a touch panel that is layered on the top of an electronic visual display, and

wherein the slave display section is configured as an electronic visual display.